Track construction for railways



T. H. LOVE.

TRACK cowsmucnou FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.2I,.I92I.

Patented-Aug. 30, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

T. H. LOVE.

TRACK CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 192i.

Patented'Aug. 30, 1921.

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NMI. aw N Rug s v ..m Rh u m fl .w n n UNITED STATES THOMAS H. LOVE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO Specification of Letters Patent.

TRACK CONSTRUGTION- FOR RAILWAYS.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

' Application filed February 21; 1921. Serial No. 446,659.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Tnonns H. Lovn, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, and

State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track Construction for Railways, of which the followin is a specification.

y invention relates to track construction for railways, and more particularly to street railways where the track is laid on a level with the street paving. v

Heretofore, it has been the practice in laying track for street railways to employ wood ties extending beyond the outside of the rails. The increased weight of the present rolling stock so weakens the construction in a short time as to work the rails loose on the ties, causing movement thereon and disturbing the paving in-the neighborhood of the rails. Further, the wooden ties do not last for any length of time, due to decay, causing the loosening of the spikes with which the rails are held in place. The rails therefore do not hold their proper relation to one another, thus destroying the gage and frequently. resulting in accidents or derailments.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a construction employing reinforced concrete ties having. fastening means and supports for the rails embedded therein.

It is another object of my invention to prevent spreading of the rails and to securely lock them in position and to avoid the destruction of the paving after the track has'been laid.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a greater supporting surface in contact with the earth, thus reducing the downward pressure per square foot.

It is further the object of my invention to so construct the concrete tie as to permit the track construction to be built in a very much shorter period of time and to avoid the disadvantages due to decay of wooden ties, as has been the case heretofore.

My invention consists in providing a suitable reinforced tie with the supporting and clamping means for the rails embedded therein and also to provide ready and efficient means for holding the-rails in their proper relation to one another and prevent spreading thereof.

rails at the joints.

My invention further consists in providing a concrete tie, so constructed as to avoid the ends projecting beyond the outside line of the rails and also to bind them together after the rails have'been put in place by a body of concrete so as to add additional supporting surface.

My invention further consists in the parts and the arrangement thereof as herein described and claimed. V

In the drawings:

F'gure 1. is a plan view of a section of track illustrating the various stages of its construction.

Fig. 2 1s a cross section taken in a plane corresponding to theline 22'0f Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken in a plane corresponding 'to the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, illustrating the manner of securing the tie rods at the rail joints.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken in a plane corresponding to the line 4 4: of Fig. 1', showing a section of the track in the various stages of construction. Flg. 5 1s a cross section taken in a lane corresponding to the line 55 of Flg. 1,

illustrating the construction completed.

Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section taken in a plane corresponding to the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, illustrating the manner of securing a joint in the rail to the ties.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of my improved construction, completed with the paving in place. h

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the concrete ties for mounting and securing the Fig. 9 is a perspecti'veview of one of the ties for supporting and securing the rails intermediate of the joints.

Fig. 10 is a perspective'view of one of the tie rods.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the supporting members.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the clamping members. 7

Figx13 is a perspective view of one of the U-bolts for securing the clamping members.

In the embodiment of my invention as illustrated, rails 20 and 21 are mounted on reinforced concrete'ties 22, resting on the earth underlay 23. The rails consist of their strength.

by webs 26. Bases 25 consist of outer wings 27 and inner wings 28.

The bases of the rails rest on supporting members 29. Th supporting members comprise base plates 30 having inwardly turned flanges 31. The bases 25 of the rails, rest on the bed plates 30 and the outer wing 27 is received under the inwardly turned flange 31. The supporting members are embedded in the concrete tie as by having downward projecting portions 32 having thereon horizontal lips 33. F or more securely holding the supporting members to the tie, down ward projecting stems 3t, secured in the bed plate 30 as by having reduced ends 35 received in holes 36. The stems Mare held in the bed plate as by having upset shoulders 37 contact the bottom thereof and the re duced ends 35 riveted over, as shown at 38. The stems further have horizontal projecting tongues 39 to firmly hold them Within the .body of the tie.

' For locking the rails in place,.clamping members 10 are received in depressions 41 in the tie- The depressions 41 are preterably longer than the clamping members. The clamping members comprise plates 42 having outwardly turned flanges 4:3. The plates 42 have apertures 4d therein,- which may be in the form of slots. For adj ustably securing the clamping members in place, U- bolts 46 are embedded in the body of the concrete ties andcomprise upwardly projecting tangs 41:7 and horizontal portions 48. The tangs 47 extend beyond the bottom of the depression and up through the slots 44; of the clamping members. The upwardly projecting tangs #17 have clamp nuts 49 received over their outer threaded. ends 50.

The flanges 43 of the clamping members are received over the wings 28 of the rail, the clamp nuts 49 firmly hold the same in place. After the clamp nuts have been drawn up, a body of concrete 51 may be placed about the clamping members and clamp nuts and in the depressions 4:1 which firmly guards against any movement or vibration thereof.

-Metal reinforcementrods 52 may be embedded in the ties for effectively adding to The rods maybe of any suitable shape and cross section. I have illustrated twisted stccl'rods ot-tr uss form. They may, however, be'of anysuitable shape orcrosssection. consistent with the degree of strength desired. i

The ties are preterablyot a shorter length than now in use for a iven track 'a 'e the T1 I: D 7

ends thereof being closely adjacent the outside line of thenails, as shown at It will be observed that It is not necessary, Where paving is already in place, to tear up as much i of. the foundation therefore as was formerly-the ease- I have'illustrate'd the crete.

paring herein as consisting of paving blocks 36 supported by a bodv of sand 57 on a concrete foundation 58. Myinvention'is appliable however to the other forms of pavin To provide increased support for the rails and reduce the pressure per square foot on the earth underlying the construction, I provide the ties with angular projecting portionsGO; After the ties have been placed in their proper position, and the rails clamped in place, the space therebetween is filled in with the body of concrete 61 forming with the ties a iractically unbroken slab of conpreferably place expansion joints of suitable material such as. pitch or tar regular intervals'to allow for expansion and contraction and thus avoid buckling of the concrete construction. a V

F more securely supporting the rails at the oints, I provide ties 659i greaterwidth' than the ties 22, preferably having two of the supporting members 29 embedded therein, coacting with the base" of the rails and also one or more of the. clamping mem- .cd'ends 72 passing through holes 73 in the rails. Draw nuts 74L are received over the hreaded ends 72 and against the outer sides of the rails, thus .limitin relative movement away from each other. Took nuts 76 effectively lock the draw nuts 74 in place.

The hook Positioning nuts 77 are received over the threaded ends otlthe hook and eye members and against the inside of the rail for positioning the tie rods, and are securely locked in place by lock nuts 78. I preferably place one of these tie rodsin each end of the rail and adjacent each other at the joints and passing through joint plates 80,1'the draw nuts and-positioning contacting the outside and the inside surface of the joint plates, res cctively. By these means, I prevent relative movement between the ends of the'rails at the joints. The tie rods are so placed as to come entirely within the body of sand between the paving blocks andthe foundal l i After the track is laid, I preferably arrange the pavingblocks adjacent, the outsides of the track in. a single unbroken course, as shown 'at"81.' This more effectively guards against displacement of the blocks than when the pavingis run upto the outside of the track in the regular lr oken courses. When the last named method is used, the half blocks-very early become displaced when heavy vehicles other than those running on the tracks, such as motor trucks, pass over the paving. The section of paving between the tracksmay be arranged in the regular brokerrcourses;

In putting down my improved construction, the concrete ties are placed at regular intervals and the rails placed thereon with the outer wings 27 under the inwardly turned flanges 31. The clamping members having been previously drawn back, are now pushed forward, so as to have the outwardly turned flanges 43 of the clamping members 40 over the inner wings 28 of the rails. The clamp nuts 49 are now drawn up, and a body of concrete placed in the depressions 41. The eye members 68 or the tie rods 67 are now placed with their threaded ends 72 through the holes in the web of one of the rails and threaded ends on the hook members through the holes in the other of the rails. The hooks on the hook members are dropped through the eyes on the eye members, and the draw nuts drawn up. The p0- sitioning nuts and lock nuts are then tightened.

After the rails are securely fastened in place, the bodies of concrete 61 are poured into the space between the ties forming therewith an integral construction. At suitable intervals a spacer is placed while pouring the concrete that may be withdrawn after the same has set, providing a space adapted to be filled with soft material such as pitch to form an expansion joint. The supporting body of sand may be then spread and the paving blocks placed thereon and sealed in the usual manner.

It will be observed that should the track construction settle, due to newly filled earth or other causes, the section of pavingbetween the rails will be carried with it and will not disturb the paving on the outside of the rails.

My improved construction is capable 0 being put in place in a shorter period of time than was heretofore possible, and further is practically indestructible. My improved construction further presents a very much greater supporting surface to the earth than heretofore, as the area between the ties is employed as well as the area under the ties.

What I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A track construction comprising a plurality of concrete ties, rails supported by said ties, means embedded in said ties for securing said rails thereon, integral projections on said ties, and a plurality of bodies of concrete adapted to be poured between said ties and about said integral projections, whereby said ties and said bodies of concrete form an integral support for said rails.

tions on said ties, a plurality of bodies of concrete between said ties having connection therewith by means of said angular projecting portions to form a plurality of substantially integral bodies of concrete, and expansion joints between said integral bodies.

3. A track construction comprising a plurality of concrete ties, rails supported on said ties, supporting members for said rails embedded in said ties, means on said supporting members to prevent the withdrawal thereof from said concrete ties, depressions in said ties, clamping members for said rails located in said depressions, means embedded in said ties for securing said clamping memhere in said depressions,.bodies of concrete adapted to be poured into said depressions after said clamping members are secured in place, whereby the parts thereof are sealed in place, and tie rods for holding said rails in their proper relation to one another.

4;. In a track construction, rails, bases on said rails, ties for supporting said rails of approximately the same length as the distance between the outer sides ofsaid rails, supporting members for said rails, comprising base plates, inwardly turned flanges on said base plates received over the base of said rail, downwardly extending portions on said bed plates embedded in said ties horizontal lips on said downwardly extending portions embedded in said ties, stems on said base plates, and hooks on said stems and said stems and hooks embedded in said ties, depressions in said ties, clamping members forclamping said rails in place adapted to be received in said depressions, outwardly turned flanges adapted to be received over the bases of said rails, U-bolts embedded in said ties, slots in said clamping members, said U-bolts adapted to project through said slots, threaded ends on said U-bolts, and

nuts on said threaded ends, whereby said clamping members are held-in place, and' bodies of concrete adapted to fill said depressions about said nuts and said clamping members whereby they are sealed in place.

5. Ina track construction, rails, ties for supporting said rails, means embedded in said ties for securing said rails thereto, tie

rods seciired in said rails adapted to hold said rails in spaced apart relation, and comprising a hook member and an eye member, an eye on said eye member, a hook on said hook member adapted to be received through said eye, threaded ends on said hook member and said eye member, positioning nuts,

and draw nuts on said threaded ends adapted to be received against the inside and outside 01 said rails respectively, and lock nuts for said positioning nuts and said draw nuts.

6. A track construction comprising a p1urality of concrete ties, rails mounted on and secured to said ties, bodies of concrete adepted to join together said ties forming substantially integral bodies of concrete, expansion joints between said integral bodies, and said integral bodies of concrete corre sponding in Width to the distance between the outer sides of the rails.

THOMAS H. LOVE. 

